Tohru: Who will win her heart?
by Space Oddity
Summary: What will Kyo do when a little girl falls in love? How will Yuki and Haru react? Will Akito accept them? Will Shigure be hurt when someone decides to take it out on themselves? Please r&r to find out!
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
There comes a time in every persons life when they fall in love...  
  
But when you do... make sure it's the right person...  
  
Or the consequences might be dire...  
  
This is the case of Kyo Sohma and Tohru Honda and the story of how they were meant for each other...  
  
Or were they? 


	2. Kyo's in love

**Fruits Basket**

  
  
Tohru: Who will win her heart?  
  
Chapter one: Kyo's in love  
  
XXX

When Tohru, Kyo and Yuki got back from the hotspring, they were happy to be home. Haru and Shigure were eating onigiri.  
'Hi Haru! Hi Shigure!' Tohru called out with a huge smile on her face.  
'Ahh... Hello Tohru! How was the hotspring?' Shigure asked. 'It was great! And look what Yuki gave me as a white day present!' She exclaimed, holding up the yellow ribbon to show everyone.  
  
Yuki blushed and murmured something that sounded like, 'It was nothing.' Shigure looked at Yuki thoughtfully for a minute.  
  
Then he stood up and said, 'I need to go work on my book. Don't break the house children!' and walked away.  
  
They all sat in silence for a few minutes, before Tohru looked around, jumped up, and exclaimed, 'Oh my! The house is so dirty!' and set about cleaning. Haru, Yuki and Kyo just looked at her in disbelief. Kyo shook his head, stood up and scowled.  
  
He then walked off. Haru leaned in and whispered to Yuki, 'Is she always like this?' and Yuki nodded.  
  
'She just got back, and already she's thinking of others again.' he said with a small smile on his face. Haru sighed, stood up, and went outside.  
  
'Miss Honda?' Yuki called out. She stopped cleaning and looked at him, her large blue eyes shining.  
  
"Yes Yuki?" she asked.  
  
"I'm going out for a walk now. I'll be back soon alright?" he said.  
  
"Oh yes. That's fine Yuki. Dinner should be ready when you get back." Tohru said, the smile still on her face. Yuki managed a small smile back at her, but when he walked out he sighed, the smile gone.

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Tohru found Kyo on the roof after she was done cleaning.   
  
"Hi Kyo." She said timidly. Kyo looked up at her, and smiled. His red eyes betrayed that he was happy to see her.   
  
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly.   
  
"Just to see how you were." Tohru answered honestly. Kyo was struck once again about how much she cared about everyone else. She was so kind, and asked nothing in return. You wouldn't think upon first meeting her that she had been through as many horrible things in her life as she had been. Kyo reached out and took her hand. She looked up, surprise showing in her huge, innocent eyes, but it only lasted a second. She moved closer to him, and laid down on the roof. Kyo lay down next to her, still holding her hand. 

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Tohru sat up suddenly, and exclaimed, "Dinner!" and ran down the stairs. Kyo sat up, stretched, and ambled downstairs into the kitchen.   
  
"Is it ruined?" he asked.   
  
"No. I got here just in time. If it had been 5 minutes more it would've been ruined." Tohru said.   
  
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have kept you on the roof." Kyo said.   
  
Tohru looked horrified and said hurriedly, "Oh NO! It's not your fault Kyo! You didn't keep me there! I stayed of my own free will! If anything it's my fault!" Kyo just looked at her with disbelief written all over his face. "Of course it's not your fault Tohru!" he said. Tohru looked at him, her eyes filling with tears.   
  
"But. I guess whatever you say." he finished as he wiped the tears from his eyes.   
  
"Please don't cry." He pleaded. She reached up and rubbed her eyes furiously.   
  
"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me." Kyo gave her a wry grin.   
  
"Don't be sorry. I just don't like to see you in pain." He said. Tohru smiled at him.   
  
"That's so kind of you" she said, "but really, don't worry about me." The smile returned to her face. Kyo smiled back, and put a piece of hair that was in front of her face behind her ear.  
  
"Just don't cry Princess." He said. Then he walked away, leaving Tohru staring after. She turned around and finished preparing dinner. 

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Yuki backed away from the doorway. `So Kyo is after Tohru too.' He thought to himself `but he's not going to win this one.' He left the room and went upstairs to bathe and change for dinner. 

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Tohru sat down, and looked at the table. She had just finished setting it. She had lit white candles, and set them around the table.  
  
"Dinners ready everyone!" she called. Shigure was the first one sitting down.   
  
"Oh beautiful Tohru, you're really to kind to us poor unfortunate souls." Tohru blushed at this comment. Yuki walked in next, hair still damp from his bath. They had to wait about 5 minutes before Kyo showed up.  
  
"Sorry I'm late." he murmured under his breath.   
  
"It's ok Kyo! Let's eat" Tohru said happily, piling some rice in her bowl. Kyo scowled, and took some rice and salmon. They ate in silence for the rest of the meal.   
  
Tohru stood up to start to clean the table, but Kyo cleared his throat and said, "I'll do that later Tohru. Come for a walk with me?" he said. Tohru nodded, and put the plate she was holding back down. She walked outside with Kyo. When they were out of view of the house he took her hand. Tohru sighed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Kyo asked.   
  
"Nothing. I was just thinking about how kind you've been to me." Tohru said. Kyo stopped, and turned to face her.   
  
"Don't think that you need to repay us Princess. We want you to be yourself and be happy." He told her softly. "Don't ever think that you're on your own, because we all love you now." Tohru looked up at him, her bright blue eyes brimming with tears.   
  
"Oh Kyo. Thank you so much!" she said. Kyo wiped away the tear that ran down her cheek. Then he bent his head down, and kissed her. Tohru felt electricity run through her body. They broke apart, and Kyo was breathing heavily.   
  
"I love you." He said.

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Yuki turned away, feeling a tear slide down his cheek. He felt like his heart had just been shattered into a million pieces. He wandered through the forest for countless hours. Eventually, he found himself at the edge of a cliff, a river below him, about 15 feet or so. He looked down at his fate. wishing everyone a silent goodbye. Then he jumped. 

  
  
**XXX  
  
A/N:** Dundundun!!! So what do you think?? ^__^ the second chapter will be up soon I promise! ^__^ But click the little button on the bottom of this page and let me know what you think and the god of anime will be kind to you forever!!!! 


	3. Yuki and Haru

**Tohru: Who will win her heart?**

  
  
Chapter 2- Yukiand Haru  
  
**XXX**

After Kyo had proclaimed his love for Tohru, they walked hand in hand towards the house. Right before they went in Kyo bent down and kissed Tohru gently on the lips. Shigure looked up and smiled at them when they walked in.  
  
'Alas, our Tohru has been bitten by the lovebug and Kyo here seems to have done the biting.' He said. Both Tohru and Kyo blushed a deep red and murmured, 'I'll be in my room' and went upstairs.  
  
Shigure shook his head. 'I wonder where that Yuki has gone off to.' He said to himself. 'But he'll show up eventually.'  
  


**XXXXXX**

Yuki felt nothing but coldness, and saw nothing but blackness. 'If I'm not dead yet then I will be soon.' he thought to himself, barely able to hear himself think over the roar of the river. The last thing he felt was pebbles rubbing against his skin. Then he passed out, knowing nothing more.

**XXXXXX**

Tohru woke up early the next morning. She got up, washed, dressed and decided to go for an early morning walk in the forest. She walked, and thought about how much her life had changed since she had met the Sohmas. She sighed peacefully, listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees. They seemed to almost be talking to each other.  
  
She came upon the river, and sat down on it's bank, letting her feet dangle in the water. It was all so peaceful. She let her eyes wander to the other river bank, which was more beachlike, and they came upon a huddled figure. She looked closely at it, and after a few minutes realized it was a person. She found a shallow area and waded across to the other side.  
  
'Mister?' she said, walking over to the man. 'Mister, are you alright?' she asked again.  
  
She turned the figure over and gasped.   
  
'Yuki?!' she said.   
  
'KYO! SHIGURE!' she screamed. She then looked at Yuki closer and found that he was breathing. Barely, but he was breathing.   
  
'KYO!!!' she screamed again, her cry choked by a sob.   
  
'Yuki, don't die. Please! Don't die!' Tohru sobbed. She lay down, with her head on his chest, trying to keep her warm without hugging him, because she figured he would be worse off as a rat.

**XXXXXX**

Kyo sat up suddenly. Someone was calling him. He didn't know that Shigure had just woken up as suddenly. He got up out of bed, and pulled on a pair of pants. He ran out of the house at the same time as Shigure nearly collided into him.  
  
'What?. Why.?' they both said at the same time, then without answering ran out towards the river. They didn't know why, but they somehow knew that they had to go to the river.  
  
They reached the river panting. Tohru was huddled on the far bank. Kyo's look of confusion instantly turned to one of worry.  
  
'Tohru! Are you okay?' he shouted. There was no answer.  
  
He jumped into the stream and swam across to the other side.   
  
'Tohru!' he called 'godammit Tohru! Answer me!' She looked up and there were tearstreaks on her face. Her face was red, and her eyes were full of hurt. Kyo reached the shore. He ran, and knelt beside Tohru, and saw Yuki.  
  
'Oh. Tohru.' he said, reaching over and taking her hand. Shigure came over, saw Yuki, and looked away. After a moment he gathered himself, and took Yuki in his arms. He walked down the river bank, and a single tear slid down his cheek.  
  
Tohru and Kyo were still sitting in the same spot. Kyo looked at Tohru and saw that she was blaming herself.  
  
'Tohru.' Kyo said. Tohru began to sob silently. Nothing Kyo said or did could make her stop.  
  
'Princess. What's wrong princess?' he asked her, stroking her hair.   
  
'It's. all. my. fault.' Tohru said between sobs. Kyo looked horrified and surprised,m because she really did think that it was her fault.  
  
'It's not your fault!' he all but shouted. She pulled away from him, her wide eyes hurt, and innocent.  
  
'But it is.' she said before fainting from the emotional stress. Kyo took her in his arms, and kissed her forehead. 

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Kyo reached the house about half an hour later. Shigure wasn't there. Kyo put Tohru in her bed, then went downstairs and sat down. His state of shock started to set in. All of the sudden he turned into a cat. He meowed, and settled down to sleep.   
  
He was still sleeping when Haru walked in, so he didn't feel Haru stroking his head. Haru got up and went back outside, afraid of what would happen if Kyo were to wake up.   
  
When Tohru woke up it was dark out. There were tearstains on her cheeks, and she was still mentally exhausted. She made her way downstairs to get something to eat. It was totally dark downstairs. Tohru tripped over something while she was walking to the kitchen. When she looked back she saw Kyo's naked body, and turned around quickly. Kyo hadn't woken up, thankfully. When she got to the kitchen she popped some onigiri into her mouth. While she was busy chewing Kyo walked into the room. Tohru almost screamed with fright when she turned around.   
  
'Oh. Kyo. It's only you.' she said. That was before she noticed he was only wearing a blanket tied around his waist. He walked over to her, still half- asleep, and then Tohru felt his arms around her waist. When she looked up at him she was met with his lips pressing against hers. Without realizing what she was doing, she kissed him back, and put her arms around his neck. He groaned. She kissed him with more force. She felt his tongue on her lips, and she touched it with her own. Kyo groaned again. He pressed Tohru up against the counter, and kissed her again. Then Tohru felt him harden and she pushed him away.   
  
'Let's stop now. please?' she asked, wide eye's pleading and lustful at the same time. Kyo kissed her one last time.   
  
'Ok. We'll put it on hold.' he said, then he turned away and went upstairs. 

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Haru melted back into the darkness, unaware of the tears flowing down his cheeks. All he felt was an invisible knife going into his heart, again and again. 'I've lost what I never had.' he whispered to himself before running out the front door.

**XXXXXX**

Yuki woke up, not knowing where he was. He realized that he was neither in heaven nor hell, and that his attempt to end his life had failed. It hurt to breath, and he couldn't move his body. There was a flash of bright light, and then it disappeared. He heard footsteps approaching wherever he was lying, and he shut his eyes quickly.  
  
'He's still asleep.' came Akito's soft voice.   
  
'Yes. but his breathing seems to be better.' Shigure answered.   
  
'He was foolish to let that Honda girl affect him like this.' Akito told Shigure. Then he walked away, and left Shigure to watch over his little cousin.

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Shigure didn't realize that Yuki had woken up, because he was caught up in his own thoughts. He was trying to figure out why Yuki would want to kill himself. He had everything. He had a family that loved him, a home, food anf friends. There was no reason for him to try and end his life. Shigure sighed. He was frustrated, because this was the pattern his thoughts had been taking over the course of the last day. His little cousin must not realize how lucky he really was.

  
  
**XXXXXX**  
  
End Chapter 2  
  
**XXX**  
  
**A/N:** So here's the next chapter.. Hope you liked it. I just reread it for the first time in a few months, and I realized how weird the angst parts are. Let me know what you think, and remember if you go clickie with your mouse and review, you will be shined upon by the god of anime!! 


	4. Awakening

**Tohru: Who will win her heart?**  
  
Chapter 3- Awakening  
  
**XXX **

Somebody was crying, very faintly as if a great distance separated them. Yuki turned his head towards the sound. He tried to call out to them, tell them it that it would be alright, whatever it was. He couldn't find them. Now they were calling his name. Yuki started running towards the direction the voice was coming from, for he recognized it as Ms. Honda's voice, and he never wanted her to cry. Yuki was trying to figure out whether this was real, or whether this was hell trying to torture him. If it was real, then he was disappointed he wasn't dead, because he had failed his goal. If it was hell, he would rather be anywhere then there, because he had always hated to see Ms. Honda in pain. There was a light ahead in the apparent darkness and he ran towards it. He ran as though his life depended on it. And maybe it did. 

  
  
**XXXXXX**

Tohru sat by Yuki's bedside every minute that she was awake. Most times she would sit there in silence, not noticing the warm tears that were running down her cheeks. She bent down, and whispered in Yuki's ear, "Yuki…. Yuki… Come back to me Yuki… Don't you dare leave me, or your strawberries. Yuki!!" She started sobbing into his shoulder, great heaving sobs shaking her body and soul. She started when a hand took her own, and screamed when she realized that it was Yuki's.   
"YUKI!!!!! KYO!! MINNA!!!! YUKI'S AWAKE!!!" she yelled, causing the whole household to come running into the room. She smiled at Yuki, who eye's had opened, and were still a dim purple, but they were open. She went to hug him, but remembered herself just in time. Instead she held his arm like it would disappear if she let go, so she held on with all her might.   
"Don't ever do that to me again, okay?" she whispered to him. Yuki's eyelids fluttered before he muttered, "Okay…" 

  
  
**XXXXXX **

Tohru, Shigure and Kyo had finally returned to Shigure's house after a week of staying at the main house. Tohru was silent for a minute when they first entered, and then she squealed "Oh my! This house has gotten messy real quick!!" and then she went into a cleaning frenzy. Kyo just shook his head and muttered, "That's my princess…" before heading upstairs for a well-deserved sleep. He had stayed up 24/7, watching over Tohru when she slept, and also checking in on Yuki. It was a surprise that he hadn't collapsed already, after a week of this schedule.   
  
Shigure sat down and sighed. He was glad that his little cousin was going to be okay. He had been worried. Ah well, alls well that ends well right? Ha.

  
  
**XXXXXX **

Sohma Hatsuharu wandered along the streets of his town. He had nowhere to go to. He was wanted back at the family house, and there was *no* chance in hell that he was going back to Shigure's house, after seeing… seeing how… how little Kyo really did care for him. Haru had waited all those long years, and still… Still Kyo refused to accept him! Haru punched the concrete wall, the side of an abandoned movie theater. He didn't notice the blood dripping down his hand, all he knew was that it was refreshing to hit this thing he was calling Kyo. Over and over again he hit it, not stopping until he could hit it no more.   
  
_'How could he do this? How could she do this? It's all her fault… All her fault godammit!! If she had never met our family… if only… Then Kyo would be mine! That's all I ever wanted… He is my first and only love…My heart feels… feels as if he ripped it out and stamped on it, and then stabbed it, over and over again. It is bleeding…'_  
  
He looked at his hands, grimaced, and kept walking. 

  
  
**XXXXXX **

Tohru finished cleaning with a satisfied sigh. She swayed in the spot she was standing, and she decided it was time for a nap. God only knew that she had barely gotten any sleep in the last week or so. She trudged upstairs, her head hanging, as she recalled the events of the past week. It was like a movie playing back in her head, and she couldn't switch it off.  
  
**Flashback – Tohru's POV **  
  
_Yuki looked so very pale, it seemed like he was a ghost. I uttered a soft scream at the sight of him, convinced that he was dead. Kyo turned to me, his eyes filled with worry. "He's gonna be okay princess, ne?" he asked me, pain making his strong voice quaver. I nodded, slowly, wanting to believe him. That was the first day.   
  
The next days were all of the same manner, filled with worrying over Yuki-kun. He is so precious to all of us, I don't know what we'll do if… if… if he isn't… okay. As much as Kyo say's that he hates Yuki (Kuso nezumi, as he says it), even he is worried about Yuki-kun, although he tries not to show it. I stay by Yuki's bedside almost every single minute of the day, except for when Kyo-kun makes me go to sleep, though I never sleep for long.   
  
On the third day Akito came to visit Yuki. He went up to the bed, and stroked his cheek delicately. His eyes visibly soften when they rested on Yuki. It made me question the extent of their relationship. But that was technically none of my business, so I wouldn't go poking my nose into it. Anybody else probably would have, but that just wasn't the way I was. Nobody could understand me because of that, because I liked to mind my own business. They called me a freak, but I learned to ignore it. What was the point of letting it get to me? Those people didn't really know me. Nope. They never wanted to.   
  
Akito turned around suddenly and glared at me. He came over to the chair I was sitting in, and hissed at me, "This is all your fault, you pathetic girl. You will *never* be a part of this family, so leave now, before anybody else ends up like your, precious, Yuki." He then turned around and walked out the door, leaving me sitting there, stunned. Him saying that only confirmed my fear that I was really hurting the Sohma family by staying at Shigure's house. I would have to leave. That was that.  
  
I had made my decision. I would stay until Yuki-kun woke up, and then I would leave. I would stop burdening this family that I had come to… to love. But no matter how much I loved them, I was only hurting them in the long run, and I had to leave. I would wait. I could wait. _  
  
**End Flashback – End Tohru POV **

Tears filled Tohru's eyes as she packed a small rucksack. She only brought the essentials, clothes, the picture of her mother, a few books and she would stop in the kitchen for some food. She wiped stray tears from her eyes, reminding herself that this was for the best. She walked down to the kitchen, and put some food into her bag. As she headed for the front door, it opened, and in walked Haru. She gaped at the site of him for he was a mess. His hands were ripped to shreds and his eyes were bloodshot. "Haru-chan… What happened to you? Do you want help?" Tohru asked, her huge blue eyes filled with alarm. Haru turned his head, noticing her for the first time since he had entered. His eyes were a black void, completely free of any emotion. That changed as he realized who exactly he was facing. He started towards her, his face contorted in anger. "It's… all your… fault! Kyo… I've lost him!" He howled, as he approached Tohru. She paused for a second, terrified for her life, then fled out the door. She ran into the dark forest of Japan, hours before the sun was to rise. 

  
  
**XXXXXX **

Kyo shot up in his bed when he heard a howl coming from downstairs. He stumbled down the stairs in the dark, with only a ham sandwich as his defense against the intruder. He flipped on the light in the living room, and was greeted with the sight of something crumpled on the floor, shaking with what sounded like sobs. He walked drearily over to the… well he didn't know what to call it, and poked it with his… sandwich. The figure looked up, and Kyo saw with a shock that it was Haru… His cousin. Lying on the floor like his life had just ended, yet he wasn't dead.   
"Haru…. What happened to you?" Kyo asked timidly.  
Haru glared at him before answering with, "As if you care." That caused Kyo to have a bewildered look on his face, because he didn't know why Haru thought he didn't care.  
"Haru… I might not act like it, but I do care. Really, I do." Kyo said gently, kneeling down beside Haru, his two-faced cousin. Haru looked up at him, utterly vulnerable. He was giving himself to Kyo to do with what he would. Kyo tentatively wrapped his arms around his cousin, and was relieved when it was accepted. Haru relaxed in Kyo's arms, finally at peace.

**XXXXXX **

Tohru was in the woods, lost. There was nowhere for her to go now, it was too late to bother anyone. Frankly, she was scared, and hurt on the inside. She had just given up everything she had ever cared about voluntarily. It was almost like losing her mother again. She finally just sat down under a tree, and fell asleep. She slept until midday, and by that time the Sohma's had realized that she was missing.

**XXXXXX**

Kyo went to go wake Tohru up. He was surprised that she hadn't woken up last night, with all the commotion the Haru had caused, but then again it wasn't all that surprising. They had had a challenging week, and he was happy it was over.   
"Tohru! Wake up princess… Breakfast is ready! Shigure got up extra early just to make it for us" Kyo paused for a minute, letting her have a chance to reply. But when she hadn't replied for a few minutes, Kyo pushed open the door slowly, and peered inside. There was her closet, neat at always, the floor (not a single piece of clothing on it!), and her bed…. Empty… He walked over to the bed in a sort of stunned silence. There was a note.   
  
_Dear Kyo-kun, Shigure-sama, Yuki-kun, and Haru,  
  
Gomen gomen about leaving, but please don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I realized something the other day, and I have to go do it, so please, just forget all about me and live your lives to the fullest. I have a house to go to, and people to stay with, so don't send anyone out to look for me. I have everything I need. Arigato, minna, for I never would have made it this far without you.  
  
Love always,  
  
Tohru Honda_  
  
**XXXXXX **

Tohru sat up, sore, stiff and cold, but happy. She had saved the people she loved from anymore hurt. What she didn't realize was that the whole Sohma household, minus Akito, was out looking for her. Well, she would find that out later. For now, she just wanted to get as far away as possible so she stood up, and began walking.

**XXX  
  
A/N:** Sooo…. What did you guys think? I had totally given up on this story, but then I got a few more reviews, and that inspired me to start it up again. Special thanks to ShigureSohmaAngelGirl and B-chan77 for getting me back to writing this story. Please, the reviews mean **_soooo_** much, they really help. So remember, leave a review, and you will be shined upon by the anime god!!   
  
**XXX**

_ Okay… well I just heard back from my beta ( I   
And now… the unfortunate business of dealing with a nasty nasty review… This is *my* story, so I will change the characters personality's as I see fit, which hopefully won't be all that much. But to anyone who complains about this fic being OOC… get a life. It's a story. It's allowed to be OOC. Just get over it.   
  
*Wipes brow* I'm glad that's over with. Now, review onegai!!!!!! _


	5. Home

**Tohru: Who will win her heart?**  
  
Chapter 4- Home  
  
**XXX**

Kyo sat on the steps of Shigure's house, his head in his hands. His Tohru, his princess, was gone. He had no clue why she left; all he knew was that he had to find her. If she had to do something, then she would have told him, ne? So there was something else going on. Even Shigure's face, which always had a smile on it, looked haggard and worn. He didn't believe the falsely cheerful note that Tohru had left. Kyo pulled his hair. It must have been something that bastard Akito said to her. What could he have said that would make her decide to run away, when she knew how much all of them cared?   
  
Yuki was due to return from the main house that day. Shigure and Kyo decided that there was no need to let him know that Tohru was missing, seeing that he was still in poor health. They planned to tell him that she had gone on a trip with one of her friends… That girl with the electricity all around her. It would break Yuki apart to know that she had left them.

0o0

Tohru wasn't quite sure where she was, but she knew that she was fairly far from the Sohma's house. With this knowledge, she decided to take a nap and rest for a little while, as she had been walking the whole day without stop. She sat down in the first clearing she found and pulled out some bread. She smiled happily as she chowed down, not knowing of the distress she was causing back home.

0o0

Yuki woke up in his own room, and the immense relief at being home faded away quickly, leaving a feeling of emptiness. Something was missing. He could feel it. It started to bother him that he couldn't place a finger on what exactly was missing, but he knew something was. He sighed and let his head sink back into the pillow. If it is something important, I'll be told. It's not like somebody is missing or anything… Probably just a misplaced book or something… he thought to himself, trying to reassure the doubt in his mind. How wrong he was.  
  
Kyo looked in on Yuki, who was again sleeping peacefully. He had no clue about the panic that was going on around him. And that's the way it would stay. Kyo walked in, and set down the tray of food he had brought up. Yuki would notice it when he woke up, and eat it if he was hungry enough. Kyo ran a hand through his already ruffled red hair. His cousin would not find out about this, and be hurt again, no matter what. Kyo would make sure of that personally.

0o0

All the animals in the area were on the lookout for Tohru as well. The Sohma's had the curse to thank for that help. It might have been the one time in Kyo's life that he was actually grateful for being part of the Zodiac. He knew that he would do anything to get his Tohru-chan home. Even after just a few hours of her being gone, the house felt emptier then it had in months. Kyo wondered to himself if Yuki might feel this emptiness, and sighed.

0o0 

Tohru giggled as a dog approached her. It looked to be a stray, so she fed it some leftover bread from her brief meal. It ate it up greedily, and then howled to the sky. It howled a few more times before it cocked its ear, for another dog somewhere had answered. It went up to Tohru and licked her face. She smiled, and petted it. "I think I'll name you Kit." She told the dog, patting its back. The dog barked in agreement, and lay down. Tohru joined her newfound friend shortly, after packing everything away. She was far enough away that she deserved a rest.

0o0

Yuki opened his eyes slowly, painfully. He had not realized that he had fallen asleep again. He sat up, slowly but surely, and saw that somebody had left some onigiri by his bedside. He smiled faintly, assuming that it had been Tohru-kun. He would eat it later because his stomach wasn't feeling quite up to it at this point and time. First he wanted to go and thank Ms. Honda for the kindness. He stood up, a little shaky, and walked towards the door. He managed to get out and walk down the hall, something which seemed like a mile which was in reality about 5 feet, and to Tohru's door. He pushed the door open, and was greeted by an empty room. This is kind of strange… Why isn't Ms. Honda in her room? Yuki thought to himself. He walked over to her bed, perfectly made, and saw a piece of paper resting on the pillow. Curious, he picked up and read it. His face went whiter with every line. He sat down hard on her bed. She was gone. Gone, because of him. That could be the only reason she left. She had made him promise never to leave her, yet there she went. She went and left him all alone. Why? What made her go and leave them? Yuki choked, he couldn't breathe. The air was refusing to enter his lungs. He couldn't BREATHE. Why couldn't he BREATHE? The last thing he remembered thinking before the world went black was how Kyo must hate him even more now because Tohru was gone. It was his fault after all.

0o0

Shigure started when a black dog trotted up to him and nudged his hand. He had dozed off, the last few days finally catching up with him. He moved down closer to the dog, frowning as he patted its head. All of the sudden his face broke into a smile, and he silently thanked the dog, telling him that he would be rewarded as soon as he got back.   
  
Kyo was woken up by Shigure, who had an excited look in his eye.  
"Nani?" Was the first response, and then when the cat saw Shigure's face, "Shi-san, daijobu?" Shigure just shook his head and motioned for Kyo to get up and ready as quickly and quietly as possible. Kyo stood up, wiping the last traces of sleep from his eyes, and got ready. He went to the kitchen, where Shigure was waiting. "Nani Shigure?" Kyo asked in a semi-agitated voice, as he had just been woken from the first sleep he had had for a few days. "It's Tohru. I think the dogs have found her." Shigure whispered. Kyo's eyes widened. "Are you sure, Shigure?" he asked, his voice shaking with hope. "From the description the dog gave me, I'm pretty sure it's her." Kyo grinned, the first grin since Tohru had disappeared. "Let's go Shigure. Let's go find Tohru."

0o0

Haru sat on the steps of the house, thinking over the things that had happened since he returned home. Kyo had been acting a lot nicer to him lately, although the cat had seemed stressed… Haru shook that thought off and let his hopes rise. Maybe Kyo-kun had finally realized… realized what Haru himself had realized years ago. Maybe Haru would finally be able to get the love he rightfully deserved… from the only person he truly loved…

0o0  
  
**XXX**  
  
End Chapter 4  
  
**XXX  
  
A/N:** Hey all! Gomen gomen that this chapter took so long! bows I really hope you enjoyed it, and muchs thanks to my beta Usagi for going through and correcting a few mistakes on my part. Thanks to all my reviewers too!!   
  
**CrazyInsaneAnimeFangirl:** Well, the story isn't over yet, so I'm not even quite sure how it's all going to end up in the end! ;]  
  
**B-chan77:** Gomen that you just realized that this is indeed angst... haha sorry!!   
  
**Amaya Hanyou:** Aww! You're comment meant alot! It really motivated me to hurry up with this chapter (even though it really isn't that much ), so thanks alot! **Lita:** Thank you!! Your comment meant alot too! I'm glad you like it!!   
  
Thank you so much guys, you're what really got me writing this chapter. Let me know what you think of this one, and I swear to hurry up with the next one!! hugs   
  
_ Until next chapter..._


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